The Wireless Messaging Newsletter has become totally independent of any trade association ( e.g. AAPC, CMA, or EMMA). As the editor of this newsletter for almost ten years, I have not changed my policies or opinions. I will continue to enthusiastically support the Critical Messaging Association, and its efforts to promote wireless messaging. This change only means that I no longer have any contractual agreement with them or any limitation on what I may write or include in the newsletter. The contract was a simple agreement that allowed the association to pay my way to the annual conferences in exchange for the newsletter identifying itself as the “CMA Wireless Messaging News.” The reasons for this change are not worthy of public discussion, and were basically the result the board of directors and I having some differences of opinion. We remain friends and colleagues. As the country folks around here say, “It ain’t no big deal.”

Sixty years ago I became fascinated with radios. At about 10 years old I built a very simple crystal radio receiver and was really surprised when it picked up our local AM broadcast station just a few miles east of town. My next project was to build a radio kit that I ordered from Popular Electronics Magazine. The transistor had only been recently invented and Raytheon brought out one (the CK722) that was affordable and it was included in this kit. I think I earned the money for it by delivering newspapers on my bicycle.

This article explains perfectly what it was like back then:

The CK722 holds a unique place in the history of the transistor. Introduced by Raytheon in early 1953, the CK722 was the first low cost junction transistor available to the general public. It was an instant success. Countless “build it yourself” articles were published in the popular electronics press and electronics/hobbyist magazines describing how to use the CK722 to build all types of devices such as radios, oscillators, electronic voltmeters, photoelectric alarms and hearing aids. Eager to learn about the exciting new transistor technology, the public responded enthusiastically to the CK722 — hundreds of thousands of these transistors were bought by experimenters, radio hams, engineers and others interested in this technology over the next few years. In addition, there is a sentimental aspect to this device. Many of the talented and dedicated professionals and amateurs who have been responsible for the tremendous rise of the electronics industry over the past four decades can still remember the time when, as a young hobbyist, they were able to scrape together enough money (maybe through saving allowance or cutting the neighbor’s grass) to buy that first CK722 — can you still recall the smell of solder and the absolute delight of hearing a local radio station coming through “loud and clear” on the newly constructed one transistor radio powered by, of course, a gleaming, bright blue CK722? [ source ]

So at 11 or 12 years old I built (I believe, but am not absolutely sure) the first transistor radio in my hometown. I remember hollowing out an old hardback book and putting the radio inside. I took it to school and went around clipping the antenna wire on to various metal objects to find one the produced a signal that I could hear.

As I continued to study electricity and electronics I got really confused at times. I would go to the school library and read about the basics. Like current flow. One book would say it was from positive (+) to negative (–) and the next one would say from negative (–) to positive (+). It took a long time to understand the difference between what I now know as electron flow and current flow, since I was learning by myself — I had no teacher to explain things to me, so it was hard sometimes.

Another thing
that took a long time for me to understand was the term modulation. This
week, in TECH TIPS there
are two videos explaining Frequency Modulation (FM),
and Amplitude Modulation (AM).

If you have time to view these videos, they give a basic and logical explanation of these terms and are very worthwhile. These training videos were done by the U.S. Army in 1964 and are now in the public domain.

This
explanation of AM is quite logical but flawed. For years
we have been teaching young technicians and engineers that
amplitude modulation is a method of modulating (or varying)
the amplitude of a a radio frequency carrier according to
an analog signal, like the human voice for example.

That's OK, except when you look at the signal with a spectrum analyzer, you see that the carrier is not modulated at all; what happens is that upper and lower sidebands are created. That's where the audio is. The carrier stays steady. In fact, the carrier isn't needed at all — as we learn later on when we study the single side band (SSB) or even double side band suppressed carrier (DSBSC) modes. It is much easier to understand if you think of it as a mixing process.

Digging a little deeper, here is an engineering illustration of what may be a mystery to some:

This is AM as viewed in the frequency domain (on a spectrum analyzer):

This is AM as viewed on an oscilloscope, in the time domain (somewhat misleading):

It's a little confusing, but don't give up. You can become technically literate without getting a graduate electrical engineering degree. When I managed a pager marketing department at Motorola, my staff of MBAs loved our training sessions together because I explained technical things to them in a simple, easy-to-understand way. (It wasn't just because I brought a box of donuts.)

At 70 years old, I feel a strong responsibility to share some of the things that I have learned with the younger men and women coming into the wireless business.

Congratulations to Ivy Corp. CEO Mary Jesse on the deal with American Messaging Services, just announced on Monday.

Please note that both of these companies are advertisers in this newsletter. I would like to say, “this is a marriage made in heaven” but I can't since I introduced them and everyone knows I am no angel.

Check out the news article that follows below and don't miss the video presentation — it makes the Ivytalk messaging platform very clear — what it really does. I predict that this will be a big success.

IMHO this is the right way for paging to embrace changing technology.

Now on to more news and views.

Wireless Messaging News

Location-Based Services

Emergency Radio Communications

Wireless Messaging

Critical Messaging

Telemetry

Paging

WiMAX

Wi-Fi

VoIP

WIRELESS MESSAGING

Wireless Messaging News

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A new issue of The Wireless Messaging Newsletter is posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon central US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the web. That way it doesn't fill up your incoming e-mail account.

There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world's major Paging and Wireless Messaging companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers — so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It's all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology. I regularly get readers' comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Messaging communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my web site. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it.

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If you are reading this, your potential customers are probably reading it as well.

We have had two instances recently where due to a computer malfunction, two different customers sent hundreds of e-mail pages a minute into our network. Our system handled the glut of e-mails, but the traffic was so great that all pages were delayed until we identified the problem and purged the e-mail page buffer. Deleting all e-mails in the buffer removed the thousands of e-mails and returned the system to normal.

We are looking for a form for our customers to sign to hold A-1 harmless in situations where we have to purge all e-mails from the buffer. We want our customers to agree:

1. If our network becomes clogged with a huge amount of unauthorized traffic, we have permission to purge the e-mail buffer, deleting all e-mail pages in queue at that time.2. The customers will acknowledge that deleting pages in that situation is necessary to return the network to proper operation for all customers. 3. The customers will agree to hold A-1 Wireless harmless for any damages or harm caused by deleting pages from the e-mail buffer. We want our customers that agree that if any of their critical pages are deleted because someone sent enough traffic to in effect create a denial of service attack, that A-1 will not be sued.

I am wondering if other CMA members have a document like this they would share with us? I don’t want to reinvent the wheel, so I am asking for help from other members who may have already handled this issue.

In this new
era of mobile communication, one might think that the age-old
paging technology might be going the way of the dinosaur.
But Ivy Corp. CEO Mary
Jesse, the former AT&T Wireless and McCaw Cellular
vice president who previously served as chief technology
officer at RadioFrame Networks, doesn’t see it that
way. Medical and safety professionals continue to rely on
paging services.

“Traditional wireless paging has the advantage of being able to deliver a single message simultaneously to millions of devices at once in a few seconds,” says Jesse. ”No cellular, mobile app, e-mail, IM or other pushed message channel can do that because they are point-to-point technologies which have to send each message one device at a time.”

In order to help bring paging technologies into the future, Ivy just landed a deal with American Messaging Services, the second largest wireless paging company in the U.S. The 15-person company also recently reeled in more funding, bringing total capital raised to $1.9 million.

In a statement, American Messaging CEO J. Roy Pottle said that the Ivytalk messaging platform instantly provides the company with “a group messaging platform necessary to meet the changing needs of our customers.”

Added Jesse: “AMS and Ivycorp can jointly address critical and collaborative communication in healthcare, utilities and other industries with a highly differentiated product offering as a result of this partnership.”

Here’s a closer look at how Ivy’s integrated communication system works, helping companies reach employees through a variety of systems:

If you are reading this, your potential customers are probably reading it as well.

RIM CEO Heins Impresses The BlackBerry Faithful

Research In Motion's new CEO Thorsten Heins connected with BlackBerry World attendees in a way RIM's former CEOs never did. He also acknowledged the seriousness of RIM's current plight.

Eric Zeman InformationWeek Mobility May 02, 2012 03:00 PM

Research In Motion has a real chance of turning itself around under the leadership of Thorsten Heins. The general impression RIM's new(ish) CEO left with BlackBerry World attendees, and members of the press in particular, was a very positive one. Not only is he a man of action, but he's a man who comes across as genuine, driven, and fully aware of the fire pit in which he and Research In Motion stand.

During the opening keynote Tuesday, Heins appeared at ease in front of the 5,000 attendees of BlackBerry World 2012. He came across as confident, though a little bit reserved. He exhibited real enthusiasm for the technology and product demonstrations that took place on stage, and delivered a solid first performance.

Heins' follow-up performance Wednesday, however, markedly changed the tone between RIM's leadership and the press to whom he was speaking. He took 45 minutes to talk directly and frankly with on-site media, speaking about his first three months at the helm of the BlackBerry maker, including all the steps the company has so far taken and will continue to take to bring BlackBerry 10 and new smartphones to market later this year. He also fielded questions directly from the press and offered up convincing answers.

This is a whole new RIM.

In my time covering mobile technology, which dates back to 2001, neither Mike Lazaridis nor Jim Balsillie ever took the time to hold a similar chat with the press. Sure, they stood on stage and made presentations, but a personal Q&A session simply would never have happened. That Heins was willing to take the time speaks a lot about how he wants to move forward at RIM.

To wit, he made specific note of providing an update on RIM's search for a chief marketing officer. He believes firmly that the company has not provided a consistent message in the past, and that he believes that needs to change. He's close to making a selection for the role.

Heins also chided the press a little bit about getting some details about the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device and its purpose incorrect in news articles. That tells us he's paying attention to what's being written about RIM, and wants to make sure that the record is accurate.

The biggest take-away Heins left with conference attendees, though, is that he gets it. He REALLY gets it. He knows where the company stands with respect to its competitors, knows how its image has become tarnished, knows that the company doesn't have a lot of time, and knows that the company needs to execute the launch of BlackBerry 10 perfectly. He reiterated numerous times that RIM is "laser focused" on making the best mobile platform and devices it knows how to.

Former co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie never got it, and as a result are largely to blame for the company's current position in the market. They ignored every warning and demonstrated a prolonged sense of tone-deafness that perplexed nearly every analyst, investor, and reporter paying attention to RIM's doings.

Last, I believed every word Thorsten Heins said. I'm not the only one. I took an informal poll of my media colleagues in the press room and the consensus is that Heins knows what he's doing and will do his utmost to make sure RIM succeeds. If it doesn't, it won't be because Heins didn't give it all he could. The man is, as they say, a straight shooter who spoke the truth and didn't hide anything.

PSSI ’s state-of-the-art and proprietary Work-In-Process (WIP) systems, and its Material Planning and Warehouse Management systems, enable PSSI to track discrete units by employee, work center, lot, model, work order, location and process through the entire reverse logistics process. Access to this information can be provided to our customers so that they can track the real-time movement of their products.

The FCC waived the Jan. 1, 2013, deadline for private land mobile radio (PLMR) licensees in the 470 – 512 MHz band to migrate to narrowband 12.5 kilohertz or narrower technology. The FCC also announced a limited suspension of acceptance and processing of certain applications for Part 22 and 90 services operating in the 470 – 512 MHz T-band spectrum.

In the narrowbanding waiver, the commission also waived a related rule pertaining to the manufacture and importation of PLMR equipment. The waiver relates to public-safety and industrial/business (I/B) licensees in the UHF T-band spectrum.

The action follows the recently enacted Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. The legislation dictated that within nine years the FCC shall reallocate the spectrum in the 470 – 512 MHz band (referred to as the T- band spectrum) used by public-safety eligibles and I/B users and auction the spectrum. The law dictates that relocation of public-safety entities from the T-band spectrum shall be completed within two years after completion of the competitive bidding.

“Nonetheless, we reiterate our commitment to the narrowbanding transition in the 150 – 174 MHz and 421 – 470 MHz bands, as demand for scarce PLMR spectrum continues to grow,” said the FCC order.

The T-band suspension applies only to applications for new or expanded use of T-band frequencies. The freeze will help maintain a stable spectral landscape while the commission determines how to implement recent spectrum legislation contained in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, the FCC said.

“In the interim, and until further notice, we conclude that prudent spectrum management dictates that we should stabilize the existing spectrum landscape by suspending the acceptance and processing of T-band licensing applications that could alter the spectrum landscape and thereby make implementing the act more difficult or costly,” said the public notice.

The suspension imposed applies to applications for the following radio services in the 470 – 512 MHz band:

Part 22 public mobile services: paging and radiotelephone (radio service code CD) and offshore radiotelephone (radio service code CO)

“We are suspending the filing and processing of only those applications for the services listed above that would, if granted, tend to increase the degree to which the 470 – 512 MHz band currently is licensed,” said the notice. “This action does not apply to applications for radio services listed above that pertain only to operations on spectrum other than the 470 – 512 MHz band.”

Effective immediately and until further notice, the FCC will not accept or process applications for new licenses; applications that seek to modify existing licenses by adding or changing frequencies or locations; applications that seek to modify existing licenses by changing technical parameters that expand the station’s spectral or geographic footprint, such as, but not limited to, increases in bandwidth, power level, antenna height or area of operation; and any other application that could increase the degree to which the 470 – 512 MHz band is licensed.

Affected applications that are now pending will not be further processed until the FCC decides how to implement the act, except that defective applications and applications in return status that are not timely resubmitted will be dismissed.

This action does not apply to applications that would not destabilize the licensing landscape, including applications to renew existing licenses without modification; applications that seek to modify existing licenses by deleting frequencies or locations; applications that seek to modify existing licenses by changing technical parameters that do not expand the station’s spectral or geographic coverage, such as decreases in bandwidth, power level or antenna height; applications that seek to modify existing licenses by changing the number of associated mobile units or temporary fixed stations; applications that seek to modify existing licenses by adding or moving control points; applications to assign, transfer or lease existing licenses; notices of construction or consummation; requests for extensions of time to construct or consummate previously granted applications; applications to cancel licenses; and applications for special temporary authority (STA) for short-term operations.

The FCC may in the future place a special condition on new, renewed and modified licenses for stations in radio services and frequencies subject to this action to remind licensees that the stations may be subject to future relocation or other commission action taken pursuant to or in connection with the legislation.

During an Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA) webinar April 25 discussing issues surrounding the T-band, Liz Sachs, EWA counsel, said that freezing spectrum set to be auctioned isn’t unusual for the FCC. “When the FCC sees that spectrum is going to be auctioned, they will always freeze the band,” Sachs said. “This is a little unusual because of the timeframe. They always do it based on the cost to the auction licensee. Sometimes they stop processing applications and other times they finish what’s in-house.”

In a poll of webinar attendees, who included I/B UHF T-band licensees, most (32.7 percent) said broadcast spectrum would be the most comparable spectrum to the T-band. Unused exclusive public-safety spectrum and the 700 MHz band each received 25 percent of the responses to the poll. The 800 MHz band was cited by 17.3 percent of respondents.

“This has been great spectrum,” Sachs said. “[Auction winners] have to move you to comparable spectrum or they have to buy you out. Incumbents might like that exit strategy.”

Today in the United States, more than 114,000 people are waiting in uncomfortable peril for their pager to sound. But, tragically, if the call heralding the availability of a new heart, liver, or kidney never comes, neither will the opportunity to live.

In response to the sobering statistic that 18 people pass each day waiting for an organ that never comes, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is aiming to bring added purpose to the social networking platform that now represents a community almost one billion members strong.

“Medical experts believe that broader awareness about organ donation could go a long way toward solving this crisis,” Zuckerberg said in a statement released Tuesday. “And we believe that by simply telling people that you’re an organ donor, the power of sharing and connection can play an important role.”

‘Sharing’ Life

In a move that has been widely praised and acknowledged across the social media world, Facebook is issuing a clarion call to its members that the gift of life is too precious to waste. And for that reason, Zuckerberg wants the broad Facebook community to sign up to become organ donors.

“Starting today,” Zuckerberg said Tuesday, “you can add that you’re an organ donor to your timeline, and share your story about when, where or why you decided to become a donor. If you’re not already registered with your state or national registry and want to be, you’ll find a link to the official donor registry there as well.”

So far, the effort has yielded fantastic results. Within the first 24 hours of availability, some 100,000 people have used the new Facebook feature to declare that they are donors. By Wednesday morning, 18,000 Facebook users followed the corresponding link to Donate Life America , the organization working with Facebook to connect folks with state registries where they can sign up to become an organ donor.

While it is far too soon to tell how many individuals will ultimately be inspired to become donors as a result of this movement, it’s evident that substantial good will come of this enterprise over time.

Inspired By Steve Jobs

A well-known recipient of a liver transplant, late Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs was a mentor and role model for a young Mark Zuckerberg, who tells ABC News this week that Jobs’ ordeal provided no shortage of inspiration for Facebook’s latest and perhaps most laudable effort.

“That definitely, I think, was something that we all had in mind as we were building this out,” Zuckerberg said. “His [Jobs] story is just one of many, of people who both were able to have an organ transplant that made his life longer, and he was extremely thankful for that.”

Just two years ago, Steve Jobs publicly backed a bill before the California state legislature that ultimately passed and simplified the steps residents must take to become and remain organ donors.

Brad Dye, Ron Mercer, Allan Angus, and Vic Jackson are friends and colleagues who work both together and independently, on wireline and wireless communications projects. Click here for a summary of their qualifications and experience. They collaborate on consulting assignments, and share the work according to their individual expertise and their schedules.

SPRINGFIELD, Va.—(BUSINESS WIRE)— May. 3, 2012 — USA Mobility, Inc. (Nasdaq: USMO), a leading provider of wireless messaging, mobile voice and data and unified communications solutions, today announced operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012. In addition, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, payable on June 22, 2012 to stockholders of record on May 18, 2012.

Consolidated revenue for the first quarter was $56.7 million, compared to $58.9 million in the fourth quarter and $57.3 million in the first quarter of 2011. Revenue from the Company’s Wireless business (USA Mobility Wireless) was $44.3 million in the first quarter, compared to $46.5 million in the fourth quarter and $52.5 million in the first quarter of 2011. Revenue from the Software business (Amcom Software) was $12.5 million, compared to revenue of $4.8 million in the first quarter of 2011. USA Mobility acquired Amcom on March 3, 2011. As a result, reported results for the Software business for the first quarter of 2011 included only the 29-day period from March 3, 2011 to March 31, 2011. In addition, Software maintenance revenue in the prior year’s first quarter was reduced by $0.9 million for purchase accounting adjustments. Accordingly, on a pro forma basis, reflecting Amcom results for the full quarter and excluding purchase accounting adjustments, Software revenue for the first quarter of 2011 was $13.1 million and consolidated revenue was $65.6 million.

First quarter EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and accretion) totaled $18.8 million, or 33.1 percent of revenue, compared to $17.9 million, or 31.2 percent of revenue, in the year-earlier quarter. On a pro forma basis, excluding purchase accounting adjustments and one-time acquisition related expenses, EBITDA in the year-earlier quarter was $21.7 million, or 33.0 percent of revenue. First quarter EBITDA included $17.5 million from Wireless and $1.3 million from Software. EBITDA from Wireless of $17.5 million compared to $17.1 million in the prior quarter and $17.0 million in the year-earlier quarter.

Net income for the first quarter was $8.5 million, or $0.37 per fully diluted share, compared to $40.7 million, or $1.82 per fully diluted share, in the first quarter of 2011. Net income for the year-earlier quarter reflected 29 days of the Software business as well as the purchase accounting adjustment to Software maintenance revenue and one-time acquisition related expenses. In addition, the acquisition resulted in a $32.4 million reduction in the deferred income tax asset valuation allowance and a corresponding reduction in income tax expense. Excluding the purchase accounting adjustment to software maintenance revenue, the one-time acquisition related expenses and the reduction in the deferred income tax asset valuation allowance, net income for the first quarter of 2011 would have been $10.9 million, or $0.49 per fully diluted share.

First quarter results included:

Wireless

Net unit losses improved to 51,000 in the first quarter from 53,000 in the fourth quarter and 60,000 in the first quarter of 2011, while the quarterly rate of unit erosion improved to 3.0 percent from 3.2 percent in the year-earlier quarter. The annual rate of subscriber erosion improved to 11.5 percent in the first quarter, compared to 11.7 percent in the fourth quarter and 12.9 percent in the year-ago quarter, and was the lowest annual unit loss rate in more than seven years. Units in service at March 31, 2012 totaled 1,617,000, compared to 1,828,000 a year earlier.

The quarterly rate of revenue erosion was 4.9 percent, compared to 4.1 percent in the fourth quarter and 3.9 percent in the first quarter of 2011, while the annual rate of revenue erosion improved to 15.7 percent from 16.3 percent in the year-earlier quarter. In 2012, we transferred most of the Wireless systems sales revenue to our Software business. Excluding systems sales revenue in the first quarter of 2011 of $0.6 million, the quarterly rate of revenue erosion would have improved to 3.6 percent and the annual rate of revenue erosion would have improved to 14.8 percent.

Total ARPU (average revenue per unit) was $8.50 in the first quarter, compared to $8.51 in the fourth quarter and $8.72 in the first quarter of 2011.

First quarter EBITDA margin for Wireless was 39.5 percent, compared to 36.7 percent in the fourth quarter and 32.3 percent in the year-earlier quarter. Excluding severance expenses, EBITDA margin would have been 39.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 and excluding the one-time acquisition related expenses EBITDA margin would have been 37.8 percent in the first quarter of 2011.

Software

Bookings for the first quarter were $12.4 million, compared to $15.2 million in the fourth quarter and pro forma bookings in the first quarter of 2011 of $13.7 million. Historically, the first quarter is the lowest quarter for bookings and revenue.

The backlog was $23.7 million at March 31, 2012, a slight increase from the fourth quarter, and compared to $18.9 million a year earlier.

Of the $12.5 million in Software revenue for the first quarter, $6.4 million was maintenance revenue and $6.1 million was operations revenue, compared to $5.1 million and $7.3 million, respectively, of the $12.4 million in Software revenue for the prior quarter (which included $1.0 million of purchase accounting adjustment to software maintenance revenue).

The renewal rate for maintenance in the first quarter was 99.6 percent.

Total Company

Consolidated operating expenses (excluding depreciation, amortization and accretion) totaled $38.0 million in the first quarter, with $26.8 million for Wireless and $11.2 million for Software, compared to $40.6 million in the fourth quarter, with $29.5 million for Wireless and $11.1 million for Software.

Capital expenses were $1.6 million, compared to $1.5 million in the first quarter of 2011.

Dividends paid to stockholders totaled $5.5 million for the first quarter.

The Company’s outstanding debt balance at March 31, 2012 was $3.3 million, at an interest rate of 3.63 percent, and the cash balance was $37.5 million. On April 6, 2012, the Company repaid the remaining debt balance of $3.3 million.

The number of full-time equivalent employees at March 31, 2012 totaled 685, including 420 for Wireless and 265 for Software, compared to a total of 683 at December 31, 2011.

Vincent D. Kelly, president and chief executive officer, said: “USA Mobility continued to make excellent progress during the first quarter, consistent with the financial guidance we provided earlier this year. Our Wireless business met or exceeded all key performance goals for gross additions, churn, and ARPU. Further, our overall Wireless trends continued to improve and our results have come in well ahead of plan. We were especially pleased to see further improvement in the annual rates of subscriber and revenue erosion. Our Software business also made substantial progress in the quarter. Although bookings fell below expectations due to lag-time in the software sales cycle on new customer accounts, we increased our backlog and made significant advances in Amcom’s product and business development initiatives. This includes Amcom’s acquisition on May 2nd of IMCO Technologies’ Critical Test Results Management solution, which allows hospitals to improve patient care and safety by expediting the delivery of critical test results to caregivers. At the same time, for the combined business we continued to reduce expenses, maintain strong operating margins, and generate sufficient cash flow to again return capital to stockholders in the form of dividend distributions.”

Kelly said the Company’s Wireless sales and marketing efforts continued to focus on its core market segments of Healthcare, Government and Large Enterprise during the first quarter. “These core segments represented approximately 90.6 percent of our direct subscriber base and 86.1 percent of our direct paging revenue at the end of the first quarter, compared to 88.9 percent and 83.8 percent, respectively, a year earlier. Healthcare continued to be our best performing market segment with the highest percentage of direct gross additions (77.9%) and the lowest rate of direct net unit loss (1.4%) as healthcare providers continue to benefit from the reliability and cost advantages of paging for their most critical messaging needs.”

Commenting on the Software business, Christopher D. Heim, president of Amcom, said: “Despite slower than expected bookings, we delivered an increase in quarter-over-quarter revenue and a growing backlog and sales pipeline at March 31st. During the quarter our sales team brought in solid orders from multiple business segments, including Healthcare, Government, Large Enterprise and Hospitality, with continued demand for call center management, clinical alerting middleware, critical smartphone communications and emergency notification. While sales activity remained strongest in North America, we also completed sales in Asia and the Middle East. In addition,” Heim noted, “our sales and marketing teams launched two new solutions for the Healthcare market during the quarter, including Amcom Care Connect, which enhances patient care by helping busy doctors coordinate and execute phone conversations, and Amcom Duty Hours Tracking, which helps teaching hospitals stay compliant with accreditation guidelines on how many hours their residents can work.”

Heim said Amcom acquired the Critical Test Results Management solution from IMCO Technologies for approximately $3.0 million in cash, providing USA Mobility’s Software business extensive expertise in the effective communication of critical test results management. “It also gives us another communication software solution to improve and enhance communications in clinical settings. Many of our 900 hospital customers have previously requested this specific type of solution, so we’re very pleased to be able to integrate this capability with their existing infrastructures to enhance patient safety and care.”

Shawn E. Endsley, chief financial officer, said the Company continued to reduce operating expenses in the first quarter. “Recurring operating expenses (excluding depreciation, amortization and accretion) for Wireless decreased 18.0 percent from the year-earlier quarter,” he noted, “and again exceeded the annual rate of Wireless revenue decline. Also, Wireless revenue for the quarter remained strong, driven largely by a stable ARPU and improved unit churn.” Endsley said the Company reduced its outstanding debt balance to $3.3 million at March 31st and repaid the $3.3 million balance on April 6, 2012. “Our acquisition of Amcom on March 3, 2011 was funded in part through a $51.9 million credit facility. With repayment of that debt, USA Mobility is once again a debt-free company.”

Regarding financial guidance for 2012, Endsley said the Company is reiterating its prior guidance for the full year, with total revenues expected to range from $214 million to $232 million, operating expenses (excluding depreciation, amortization and accretion) to range from $156.5 million to $163.5 million, and capital expenses to range from $7.5 million to $10 million.

* * * * * * * * *

USA Mobility plans to host a conference call for investors on its first quarter results at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, May 4, 2012. Dial-in numbers for the call are 719-325-2199 or 888-634-7543. The pass code for the call is 3944122. A replay of the call will be available from 1:00 p.m. ET on May 4 until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 18. Replay numbers are 719-457-0820 or 888-203-1112. The pass code for the replay is 3944122.

In addition, the Company will host a meeting for financial analysts from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 in Alexandria, Virginia immediately following its Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Annual Meeting of Stockholders is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. The Analysts Meeting and Annual Meeting will be held at The Westin Alexandria, 400 Courthouse Square, Bell Room, Alexandria, Virginia. Financial analysts planning to attend the Analysts Meeting should RSVP to stacy.sloan@usamobility.com or call 703-269-6950.

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About USA Mobility

USA Mobility, Inc., headquartered in Springfield, Virginia, is a comprehensive provider of reliable and affordable wireless communications solutions to the healthcare, government, large enterprise and emergency response sectors. In addition, through its Amcom Software subsidiary, it provides mission critical unified communications solutions for hospitals, contact centers, emergency management, mobile event notification and messaging. As a single-source provider, USA Mobility's focus is on the business-to-business marketplace and supplying wireless connectivity solutions to organizations nationwide. The Company operates the largest one-way paging and advanced two-way paging networks in the United States. USA Mobility also offers mobile voice and data services through Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile, including BlackBerry® smartphones and GPS location applications. The Company's product offerings include customized wireless connectivity systems for the healthcare, government and other campus environments. USA Mobility also offers M2M (machine-to-machine) telemetry solutions for numerous applications that include asset tracking, utility meter reading and other remote device monitoring applications on a national scale. For further information visit www.usamobility.com and www.amcomsoftware.com .

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act: Statements contained herein or in prior press releases which are not historical fact, such as statements regarding USA Mobility’s future operating and financial performance, are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause USA Mobility’s actual results to be materially different from the future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expectations include, but are not limited to, declining demand for paging products and services, the ability to continue to reduce operating expenses, future capital needs, competitive pricing pressures, competition from both traditional paging services and other wireless communications services, government regulation, reliance upon third-party providers for certain equipment and services, as well as other risks described from time to time in periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although USA Mobility believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. USA Mobility disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

While activities such as video streaming get lots of blame—and rightfully so, for causing skyrocketing mobile network traffic—another somewhat overlooked activity is causing considerable network angst, and most users are not even aware of it.

Constant pinging from popular smartphone applications is also responsible for raising the volume of signaling on mobile networks. According to vendor Seven Networks, in a 24-hour time period an app set to poll for updates every five minutes will generate 298 connection attempts.

"Wireless signaling is a tricky topic because oftentimes it's hidden, happening in the background without any user knowledge, but is growing bigger by the minute as more users download more connected applications," said Isabelle Dumont, Seven's head of marketing.

Doing some worst-case scenario multiplication, Seven has estimated that signaling generated by popular mobile apps on phones using Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android OS could rack up 25 trillion signaling events per hour worldwide. The company came to that conclusion based on the daily activation of 850,000 new Android devices for a total of 300 million in market, each averaging 35 downloaded apps, some of which ping the network up to 2,400 times per hour, each time establishing a new connection and generating up to 30 network signaling events if the radio is idle and needs to be turned on.

Seven is marketing its Open Channel traffic-optimization product, which is designed to reduce unnecessary signaling by only connecting devices to the network if updates are available. The company claims its product can reduce the amount of smartphone-generated signaling by as much as 40 percent and bandwidth by up to 70 percent.

Mobile operators are searching for these types of solutions because whenever their signaling channel is overloaded, requests for calls cannot reach the network, meaning the device cannot access the network for voice or data service. Last summer, executives from some of Europe's largest operators said during the Open Mobile Summit in London that more action needs to be taken to keep mobile applications from overloading their networks with signaling traffic from smartphones.

Mobile point of sale provider CHARGE Anywhere LLC is grabbing an NFC niche where one exists: BlackBerry devices. The company announced its new BlackBerry payments software featuring NFC payment technology at this week's BlackBerry World event in Orlando, Fla.

With CHARGE Anywhere's Mobile Payment App for BlackBerry, merchants can accept payments on BlackBerry smartphones or PlayBook devices. NFC-enabled credit and debit cards carrying Visa payWave or MasterCard PayPass need only be tapped on the devices to be processed.

And since it's NFC, no dongles are required to process transactions — so long as the card is a contactless card. (That last part is important considering that contactless hasn't necessarily taken off in the U.S.)

Even with contactless card adoption issues and BlackBerry's diminishing market share in the smartphone space, supporting the devices means CHARGE Anywhere is supporting devices that are actively pushing NFC. Both the BlackBerry Curve and Bold come with NFC technology enabled and BlackBerry manufacturer RIM has said it is committed to including NFC in all of its future devices.

"We are proud to say that CHARGE Anywhere is the first Mobile Payment App provider to support NFC initiated credit and debit card payment acceptance on BlackBerry NFC enabled devices," said Paul Sabella, CEO of CHARGE Anywhere. "CHARGE Anywhere has a legacy of supporting mobile payments on BlackBerry devices dating back to the original RIM 950 two-way pager."

Over 70% of first responders are volunteers. Without an alert, interoperability means nothing.

Get the Alert.

With the M1501 Acknowledgement Pager and a SPARKGAP wireless data system, you know when your volunteers have been alerted, when they've read the message, and how they're going to respond – all in the first minutes of an event. Only the M1501 delivers what agencies need – reliable, rugged, secure alerting with acknowledgement.

FEATURES

5-Second Message Delivery

Acknowledged Personal Messaging

Acknowledged Group Messaging

16 Group Addresses

128-Bit Encryption

Network-Synchronized Time Display

Simple User Interface

Programming/Charging Base

Secondary Features Supporting Public Safety and Healthcare

CRITICAL RESPONSE SYSTEMS

Selected portions of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, a newsletter from the Law Offices of Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, LLP are reproduced in this section with the firm's permission.

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has released the “holds” he had placed on FCC nominees Ajit Pai (R) and Jessica Rosenworcel (D) months ago because he did not believe the agency had released all of the documents pertaining to the initial granting of a waiver to LightSquared. Grassley said the recently released documents he has seen so far raise more questions, but he expressed satisfaction with the process now in place to obtain relevant FCC documents. Grassley emphasized that his inquiry is not over. A confirmation vote on the nominees is expected some time this month.

FCC Adopts FNPRM To Reform USF Contributions

The FCC, at its April 27 open meeting, adopted a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) to examine ways to reform Universal Service Fund (USF) contribution policy. For the most part, USF “contributions” consist of mandatory assessments on the interstate and international revenues of telecommunications carriers, as well as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers. Contributors generally pass these assessments through to their consumers and business customers as line items on monthly bills.

The FCC said the current contribution system has given rise to uncertainty, inefficiency, and market distortions. It said that outdated rules and loopholes mean that services that compete directly against each other may face different treatment.

The FNPRM seeks comments on reforms of the USF contribution system that will seek to promote efficiency, fairness and sustainability. What the FNPRM does not appear to propose is a broadening of the contributor base and an increase in the $4.5 billion “target” budget for high-cost support so as to encourage and enable more rapid extension of broadband services and upgrades of broadband capacity in rural areas.

In particular, the FNPRM asks:

What services and service providers should contribute to the fund? Comment is sought on two alternative approaches to defining what services or providers should be subject to contribution obligations:

(1) using the FCC’s permissive authority, and/or other tools to clarify or modify on a service-by-service basis whether particular services or providers are required to contribute to the Fund; or

(2) adopting a more general definition of contributing interstate telecommunications providers that could be more future proof as the marketplace continues to evolve.

How should contributions should be assessed — on revenues, the number of connections, by phone numbers, or a hybrid approach? In particular, the FCC seeks to refresh the record.

How to reduce the cost, promote transparency and increase clarity of the contribution system. For example, should the FCC adopt an annual review of the instructions and content of the form that telecommunications providers must submit to determine the scope of their contribution obligations (FCC Form 499). The FCC also seeks comment on ways to improve administration of the contribution system, such as setting performance goals for timely reporting by contributors and prompt payment of contributions.

Whether consumers could benefit from increased transparency and limitations on how providers recover their USF costs. Should the FCC require additional information on customer bills about contributions, limit the flexibility of contributors to pass through contribution costs as a separately stated line item on customer bills, and extend to non-incumbent eligible telecommunications carriers the existing rules that preclude incumbent carriers from recovering from their Lifeline subscribers universal service contributions for Lifeline offerings?

How should USF contributions be recovered from consumers? The FCC seeks comment on whether to require additional information on customer bills about contributions, whether to limit the flexibility of contributors to pass through contribution costs as a separately stated line item on customer bills, and whether to extend to non-incumbent eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) its existing rules that preclude incumbent carriers from recovering from their Lifeline subscribers universal service contributions for Lifeline offerings. The FCC also seeks comment on measures to ensure contributions are made by contributors that become insolvent.

The FNPRM additionally seeks comment on the appropriate transition periods for reforms to allow service providers and consumers to adapt. Comments in this WC Docket No. 06-122 proceeding will be due 30 days after publication of the item in the Federal Register, and replies will be due 30 days thereafter. We will issue an additional item on the exact comment dates when they are known.

May 21 – Deadline for reply comments on FNPRM proposing amendments to Local Community Radio Act (MM Docket No. 99-25).

Source:

BloostonLaw Telecom Update

Vol. 15, No. 17

May 2, 2012

This newsletter is not intended to provide legal advice. Those interested in more information should contact the firm. For additional information, contact Hal Mordkofsky at 202-828-5520 or halmor@bloostonlaw.com

I'm
looking for a way to modulate a Kenwood TK-790
using FSK-NRZ for POCSAG paging. I remember some
carrier that said he was doing it, but I can't
remember who. If any of you readers know how, please
contact me at kd4kto@clis.com.

The National VOA Museum of Broadcasting will be open for tours on Saturday May 19th from 1pm until 6pm and on Sunday May 20th from 1pm until 4pm. We [are] opening to accommodate the many requests such as yours in association with Hamvention. However I do want to let you know that we are just finishing some major construction work so some items may not be redisplayed by those tour dates and some areas may not be as organized as they will be. What you will be able to see is how wonderfully the building has been restored even if a little messy. Also, on Saturday the 19th there will be a Blues and BBQ Festival on our front lawn and they will have a $5.00 per car parking fee on Saturday. That is the total cost for entrance to the festival so you can also enjoy some of the best Blues music the Cincinnati area as well as the Museum.

Hope to see you there.

Ken Rieser, President Board of DirectorsNational VOA Museum of Broadcasting

UNTIL NEXT WEEK

A couple of readers said I look like Charles Manson in this DIY photo. What do you think? I promise to get a new photo made ASAP.

I don't see the resemblance. He doesn't wear glasses, and I don't have a swastika tattooed on my forehead.

“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.”

—Winston Churchill

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

—Theodore Roosevelt

Quotations in the opening of the new book, Manhunt: the ten-year search for Bin Laden from 9/11 to Abbottabad by Peter L. Bergen, published by Crown Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, May 1, 2012.

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